Ibero-American News Digest

Santos Strike Against FARC Sparks Optimism in Colombia

Sept. 24 (EIRNS)—A wave of relief swept Colombia, with the announcement that the chief military commander of South America's killer FARC drug cartel, Jorge Briceño Suárez, alias "Mono Jojoy," was killed on Sept. 23 during an Armed Forces assault on what the government called the FARC's "mother camp," in the jungles of Meta. The FARC been testing President Juan Manuel Santos, who took office on Aug. 7, and had escalated its terror operations in Colombia since August. The strike was Santos's answer. He called the military operation his "welcome to the FARC," noting that "Jojoy" was "the symbol of the extreme cruelty ... the inhumanity" of that organization.

The fact that the last government, and now its successor, have fought to win against the FARC arm of the British Empire's new Opium War, has created an optimism in Colombia which is lacking today in most other Ibero-American nations. That optimism is reflected in the interest by numerous Colombian universities in having their students study Lyndon LaRouche's "NAWAPA concept," in using that North American Water and Power Alliance project to spark the construction of similar great biospheric engineering projects across the globe. People are eager to "think big," as they taste the possibility of ending the decades of warfare they have suffered.

Mono Jojoy was key in the FARC drug trade, and responsible for discipline in the narcoterrorist ranks. He had become the most hated man in Colombia since Pablo Escobar, as the man responsible for the FARC's most bestial actions, including the policy of seizing hostages and holding them in barbed wire concentration camps, starved to emaciation, often chained at the neck.

The Armed Forces succeeded in gaining the element of surprise, by opening the attack on the camp, which included a concrete bunker, with Air Force bombing sorties, after which Army, Navy, and police troops were helicoptered in for several days of hand-to-hand combat against the 600-man guerrilla force caught when the camp was attacked.

The government is now deploying to gain maximum advantage of the disarray this victory has struck in FARC ranks. Dozens of intelligence experts are already working round-the-clock working through the 14 FARC computers, 94 USB memory sticks, and 14 external hard drives seized in the destruction of the military headquarters of the FARC.

Argentina and India Sign Nuclear Agreement

Sept. 24 (EIRNS)—On the sideline of the 54th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency at Vienna, India and Argentina signed an agreement for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Agreement was signed by Dr. S. Banerjee, chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr. Norma Boero, president of the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA), on Sept. 23.

"This is an inter-governmental agreement, and the scope of cooperation is wide," Banerjee told PTI. "We have a lot of commonality and therefore possibilities of exchange of information on operation and maintenance of reactors," he said. In addition, there could be scope for service assistance to Argentina with the Indian expertise on en-masse coolant replacement of nuclear power reactors, Banerjee said adding, "We are also looking forward for cooperation in research and development (R&D) in various peaceful uses of nuclear energy."

Last October, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, during her state visit to India, issued a joint statement with Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, stating that India and Argentina will use the vast experience of their nuclear scientists and technologists. Taking into account their respective capabilities and experience in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, both India and Argentina have agreed to encourage and support scientific technical and commercial co-operation for mutual benefit in this field, said the joint statement.

Argentina has two nuclear power plants in operation and expects to complete work on another next year. It has announced plans to start building light-water reactors as of 2011. Work on previously announced plans has been delayed by poor financing. Argentina and South Korea last week signed a memorandum of understanding that will see Korean expertise being deployed in both new and existing nuclear power installations to bolster the national grid.